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The reason Android has been so successful in smartphones is distribution. Sure, there may be *some* people who prefer it to an iPhone, but I think most people just walk into their carrier store looking for something iPhone-esque, and many walk out with an Android phone because it's what the sales guy sells them. Either because iPhone doesn't exist on that carrier, or because the sales guy is talking up LTE, or because Android phone is on severe markdown, or something like that. But I think the percentage of Android buyers who are actually actively seeking an Android phone is relatively low.

In the tablet market, there is no "go to the carrier store" impulse because people aren't already on contracts and because Apple has made it so that even if you do want 4G service on your iPad, you can activate it yourself in seconds. (The subsidy aspect hasn't played a role yet, either. Nor did it when carriers were selling cheap netbooks, either.)

This is also where the Apple store really helps Apple — people know they can go try an iPad at the Apple store, and there are (of course) no Android tablets there to compare with. And the quality of software/hardware/apps/entertainment ecosystems are so drastically different between the iPad and Android on tablets that I don't think anyone in their right mind would even recommend an Android tablet over an iPad unless they worked for Google or Samsung or something.

Anyway, to sum up: The carrier-dominated distribution chain in smartphones has been a huge help to Android. But that shopping habit doesn't exist for tablets/computers. And, the iPad is 10-100x better overall.

That is a very , very, very US centric view of the situation. iPad is simply the best product currently available in that category, there are no other "wonders" to it's success.

People actually go into the stores and ask for that pretty Samsung phone or browse around and ask to see the big screen phones. Other people ask is questions like "Does it have apps?". That is just plain 20 minutes in a CarphoneWarehouse, that has no inclination to push any operator discounts or specials offers.

Android is no more than a mark of compatibility. It's same situation as with iPhone. People go into the store and ask for iPhone4s, not iOS.

Jay is trolling for an obvious response.
Apple has 1) first mover advantage over Google; 2) less fragmentation and more control over user interface/skin than Android does.
Give Google a bit of time to refine UI (with Jelly Bean if not ICS), the hardware vendors a bit of time to push the next CPU/graphics sets and the tablet vendors to learn their ropes.
Inevitably, by 2014 or 2015, Apple will get pushed to the end of the queue despite the lead they are enjoying now.
PS No thumbs down from Apple fan-boys, please

Also, the customer support is not even close. Just to be able to walk in to an Apple store and have you stuff fixed or replace on the spot its priceless for customers. Try getting on the phone with Motorola or Toshiba.

Few times in history, a company has been so utterly successful. The iPad is the Model T for this category of devices. There is absolutely no way Android can catch up unless Google bets the farm on it. Which it won't because their jihad is against Facebook, not against Apple. Microsoft, on the other hand, has to be very aggressive with W8. The Mac, the iPhone and the iPad could actually kill Microsoft in 10 years.